Intercultural Communication in the Workplace Essay

Good morning, dobry den, dobry den, Guten Tag, bonjour, buenos dias, these are examples of my native Slovak and five other languages that I can partly understand and speak. I used to think this was a significant number, but I found that there were approximately 4000 languages spoken in the world. It is obvious that we could spend the whole life studying foreign languages and never master all of them. So how do we overcome this barrier? The next part will give a complete summary of the possible solutions according to three authors and will also include my own reflections. The most comprehensive approach to the topic can be found in the book titled â€Å"Intercultural communication in the global workplace† by Linda Beamer and Iris Varner. Linda Beamer is a full professor in the Department of Marketing at California State University, Los Angeles where she teaches marketing courses as well as business communication, intercultural communication and many others. Iris Varner is a professor in the Department of Management and Quantitative Methods, College of Business at Illinois State University, where she teaches the cultural environment of international business. Varner is the author of numerous articles in the area of intercultural managerial communication, and she is also president of the Association for Business Communication. The whole chapter in the book is dedicated to the role of language in the intercultural communication. They believe that language and culture are shaping each other and are intertwined. They show that identical words can have different meanings in different cultures. â€Å"Both the French and the Americans use the word force majeure, but the phrase carries very different meanings. Literally the term means superior or irresistible force. In U. S. legal language, the term refers generally to forces of nature or possible war. The implications are that the terms of a contract may be changed because the risk was not allocated in either the expressed or implied terms of the contract. In European law the term has a broader meaning. It also includes changes in the economic conditions or other circumstances that were not reasonably anticipated when the contract was drawn up. The implication is that when Americans make agreements with Europeans that include discussions of unforeseen circumstances and use the term force majeure, they need to clarify what they mean and spell out what that term covers† (Beamer, Varner, 2008, para. 6). According to Beamer and Varner following points may help in communicating with non-native speakers: Enunciate, speak slowly, avoid slang and colloquialism, be careful about jokes, be sincere, be culturally sensitive, and keep a sense of humor (Beamer, Varner, 2008)Speaking clearly and slowly is helpful. Avoiding slang is necessary because unless the speaker has lived in the country for a long time, there is small chance that he or she will understand. The problem with jokes is that they do not translate well and if they have to be accompanied by lengthy explanations, they usually lose their funniness. Being sincere, culturally sensitive, and keeping sense of humor also affects communication in the positive way. On the other hand, I personally prefer new phenomenon called â€Å"World English† that is described in the work of two authors. According to Smith, â€Å"The geographical spread of English is unique among the languages of the world, throughout history. Countries using English as either a first or a second language are located on all five continents, and the total population of these countries amounts to about 49% of the world’s population† (Smith, 2006). He recognizes six types of World English: US English, Canadian English, Australian, New Zealand English, South African English, Indian English, and West Indian English (Smith, 2006).

Frankenstein and Terror Essay

A classic gothic novel emphasises fear and terror. It has the presence of the supernatural, the placements of events within a distant time and an unfamiliar and mysterious setting. Romantic writer Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein conforms to these conventional ‘classic’ Gothic traits as well as to the modern conceptions of what is considered as Gothic. Shelley’s Frankenstein is host to a range of significant gothic elements, evident through Victor’s creation of the gigantic creature, the dark setting of the novel, set in places of gloom and horror, and the disempowered portrayal of females, in which women are threatened by the tyranny of males and are often in distress. Omens and visions are also evident in the novel, further enhancing the Gothicism found in the novel. Frankenstein is defined as a Gothic novel through the many Gothic aspects it features. The connections, and relevance it has to today’s modern society and the lessons that can be learned from it, is what classifies it as being classic. Shelley uses the supernatural elements of raising the dead to frighten her readers. Through the eyes of Victor the monster is repulsive and altogether unnatural, shocking the reader out of reality, â€Å"I suddenly beheld the figure of a man, at some distance, advancing toward me with superhuman speed.† At a time of great scientific advancement this would have been a topical story that pushed the boundaries, presenting readers with a truly shocking idea removed from reality, but remotely possible. Not only is this topic unknown and mysterious, it is presented in such a frightening way that terror consumes the reader. Victor’s decision to stop making a female monster is driven by fear that â€Å"a race of devils would be propagated upon the earth who might make the very existence of the species of man a condition precarious and full of terror† and this is the very feeling that has already been sparked in the reader during the creation of the first monster. It could be argued that the â€Å"gothic novel is primarily concerned with producing a physiological reaction, a story that chills the spine and curdles the blood†. Victor himself experiences this bodily reaction induced by fear – â€Å"Sometimes my pulse beat so quickly and hardly that I felt the palpitation of every artery.† In this respect, Shelley’s novel clearly meets the criteria of the gothic traditions. These traditions are enhanced by the feeling of suspense that runs through Frankenstein, particularly from the moment the monster threatens Victor with the words, â€Å"I will be with you on your wedding-night,† a phrase that remains with the reader through the novel from the moment it is spoken. Furthermore, nature in the gothic novel is presented as sublime. This is evident in Victor’s journey to the mountains to revive his spirits and the monster’s joy when spring arrives. Nature is often used combined with darkness to construct a feeling of foreboding or evil. This is the case as Victor creates the monster, an attempt that forces him to avoid daylight and lead a solitary life, â€Å"the moon gazed on my midnight labours, while, with unrelaxed and breathless eagerness, I pursued nature to her hiding-places.† As the novel progresses we would not expect life to be â€Å"injected† into the monster on any other night but a â€Å"dreary night in November.† Evidently, through multiple narratives, Shelley forces us to question our sympathy. We are told the story of Frankenstein through Walton, who in turn tells the story of the monster. However, it is not until halfway through the novel that we are subject to the monster’s narrative and by this time we have already been influenced by Victor’s biased account of events. Consequently, we become aware of the complex nature of truth and the power of our own subjectivity. The supernatural becomes closer to natural than we may have first imagined. Although we are terrorised in true gothic manner, we are simultaneously forced to question the source of this terror. However a realist understanding of supernatural events can be identified in the reaction of the magistrate as Victor explains his story to, â€Å"He had heard my story with that half kind of belief that is given to a tale of spirits and supernatural events.† Fundamentally, in the case of Justine and Elizabeth, both women conform to the Gothic aspects of women being in distress. As the result of Justine being wrongly accused of the murder of William, her existence is threatened as she faces death if found guilty. Justine is eventually executed ultimately because of Victor’s selfishness. He created the creature, left it to do what it did and couldn’t come in Justine’s defence when she was on trial. The trial not only caused distress to Justine, but to Elizabeth also. Both women experienced emotional distress, with Elizabeth also pleading in tears to the judges. The act of creating the creature and Victor’s inability to realise the vulnerability of others around him from the creature’s attack also resulted in the violent death of Elizabeth on her wedding night. Nonetheless the act of creating the creature and the ideas behind it is in itself Gothic. In the pursuit of creating life, Victor was â€Å"animated by an almost supernatural enthusiasm† to observe the â€Å"corruption of the human body† and examining the nature of death. He worked with objects that are viewed as revolting and spent days and nights in churchyards, charnel houses and vaults, collecting remains of dead bodies, in places of dark and ghostly atmosphere, emphasising the fear and terror held within society of the time, ultimately labelling Shelley’s text as a Gothic novel.

Maturity in the Secret Life of Bees Essay

â€Å"One is not born but rather becomes a woman†- Simone De Beauvoir. In Sue Monk Kidd’s, The Secret Life of Bees, Lily Owens engages on a life changing expedition to make sense of her difficult predicament. Lily shows that she is a dynamic character as she matures in this coming of age novel. Lily portrays growth throughout the novel with her behavior with T. Ray, her prejudice view on the people who surround her, and her poor judgement about her mother. Lily, the protagonist in The Secret Life of Bees, drastically changes her behavior with T. Ray throughout the course of the novel. Although at first screams and argues with him, Lily soon transforms and has a talk with T. Ray in a polite manner. In the beginning, while speaking with T. ray about Rosaleen being in jail, an argument breaks out about her mother when T. Ray tries to hit her. Lily then shouts at him stating, â€Å"‘my mother will never let you touch me again! [ †¦] I hate you!’† T. Ray then gets angry and replies saying, â€Å"’you think that goddamn woman gave a shit about you? [†¦] The truth is, your sorry mother ran off and left you. The day she died, she’d come back and get her things, that’s all. You can hate me all you want, but she’s the one who left you† (38-39). As soon the fight is over, the words sink in and settle in Lily’s mind which she is now concerned and questioning her mother leaving her as a child which causes her to pack her things, rescue Rosaleen and runs away to Tiburon. Over a period of time that Lily spends there with the Boatwright sisters and Zach she matures. Although the scenario still lingers in her mind Lily continues to live her life. When T. Ray finally finds Lily, Lily invites him into the house and talks to him in a respectful way. T. Ray starts by saying, â€Å"’Well, well, well. Look who’s here.’† Lily then responds saying, â€Å"’won’t you come in? [†¦] have a seat if you want to’† (290). Lily’s demeanor towards her father is surely apparent than her past conversations with him. Even though it is evident that she would never go back home with him, she still shows him respect. Lily’s growth is proven through her modification in behavior towards her father. Throughout the novel, Lily experiences some hurtful thoughts about the people who take her in. Even though she has nothing against colored people, Lily thinks some prejudice thoughts about the Boatwright’s and Zach. After August shows Rosaleen and Lily where they are going to sleep, she starts to remember what T. Ray said about colored women and reveals her own thoughts: â€Å"T. Ray did not think colored women were smart. Since I wanted to tell the whole truth, which means the worst parts, I thought they could be smart, but not as smart as me, me being white. Lying on the cot in the honey house, though, all I could think was August is so intelligent, so cultured, and I was surprised by this. That’s what let me know I had some prejudice buried inside me. † (78) Lily is very shocked that she thinks this way about colored people and soon acknowledges her bias thoughts. Despite the fact that Lily may have noticed her prejudice act, she still continues down the same path without noticing. While hanging out with Zach on the grass, Zach tells Lily that he doesn’t have much of a future since he is a Negro and she tells him how doing sports is the only way he can be successful. She goes and says, â€Å"’well, you could play football for a college team and then be a professional player. ’† Zach then retorts and says, â€Å"’why is it sports is the only thing white people see us being successful at? I don’t want to play football, I wanna be a lawyer. ’† Lily then comes back again annoyed commenting, â€Å"’that’s fine with me, I’ve just never heard of a Negro lawyer, that’s all. You’ve got to hear of these things before you can imagine them’† (120-121). Lily’s prejudice ways are evident in her harsh comments towards Zach. Even though she says all those rude things, she accepts Zach’s choices and supports it. Lily’s maturity is portrayed through her acceptance of Zach’s choices and wish. While staying at the Boatwright’s, Lily continues to think about what T. Ray told her about her mother leaving her as a child. Lily makes some atrocious comments about her mother in spite of her leaving. While speaking with August after telling her that she’s Deborah’s daughter, she reveals to August how she hates her mother and how her mother never wanted her which August then tells her how T. Ray wanted to put her in Bull Street the mental institution. â€Å"’It was easy for her to leave me; because she never wanted me in the first place†¦ you should’ve let him put her in there. I wish she’d rotted in there’† (252) Obviously, Lily’s negative words and thought have clouded her true feelings about her mother. August soon convinces Lily about her mother leaving. Further into the conversation, August tells Lily that even though her mother left her, she came back for her the day she died which makes think: â€Å"T.  Ray had told me that she came back for her things. But she’d come back for me, too. She’d wanted to bring me here, to Tiburon, to August’s. If only we’d made it. I remember the sound of T. Ray’s boots on the stairs. I wanted to pound my fists against something, to scream at my mother for getting caught, for not packing faster, for not coming sooner. † (254) Lily soon realizes that her mother did love her and wanted to be with her even though she still blames her for not packing faster. Despite the fact that her mother did leave her in the beginning, she still loves her mother, even more now that she knows that she was coming back just for her. Lily’s growth is surely evident due to the fact that Lily had a deeper understanding of what happened the day her mother died and she changed her perspectives on her. The Boatwright sisters, Zach and Lily herself are ultimately the ones to acknowledge for her astonishing change in behavior, her conversion of perspective on the people who take her in, and her modification to her dreadful comments made about her mother which help her grow in many ways. The decisions she makes and paths she takes are influenced with the help from people who love her. In order to mature and gain an understanding, Lily goes Tiburon to seek her and her mother’s past, get a deeper understanding of why her mother left in the first place and change her view on things. It is apparent that people will do anything to get answers to complex questions that may be lingering in the minds, and on the way to getting their answers they experience growth, love and compassion and leave with a deep understanding.

Business Analysis & Requirements Frameworks Essay

Business Analysis & Requirements Frameworks - Essay Example He is in charge of operation in the development together with the different Project Leaders including Software Trainers, Business analysts, Software Developers and one Technical Author. The study finds out that there are about ten different projects running at any time in Ambridge Software Ltd. The different departments are expected each to contribute to the development of software in Ambridge Software Ltd through specialization (Kotonya & Sommerville, 1998). There are different scenarios that occur from time to time, and prompt different actions to create transformation. 2. Introduction This study evaluates different scenarios and recommends the appropriate actions for the management of the scenario in Ambridge Software Ltd (Robertson & Robertson, 2006). It considers the position of a staff member of Ambridge Software Ltd in relation to the decisions of Software development, as well as the position of an employee of one of the clients of Ambridge Software Ltd (Sommerville & Sawyer, 1997). This takes place in various scenarios, involving different authorities including the project managers, Software Developer, Software Trainer, Technical author, Business analysts and support staff. The scenarios further consider the different stages of software development such as functional specification, Design specification, programming phase. Each leader has responsibilities to manage in the process of the development process (Kotonya & Sommerville, 1996). This report selects scenario 1 where the company realizes that there is the realization that misunderstanding led to certain unplanned changes on some projects. In this, there was poor understanding between the customers and the development team in Ambridge Software Ltd. The system developers apparently failed to understand the software requirements and their documentation (Macaulay, 1996). From the scenario, it was appropriately decided that there should be an update in the protocol and system documentation will be insta lled (Yeates & Paul, 2006). In the initial stages, there was a meeting held with the Ambridge Software Ltd customer at different durations before the beginning of development project. At the same time, there are three intervals every month while the project is in progress (Goquen & Linde, 1993). The processes and the stages involve the development of reports to the project coordinator. The project leader then has the task to distribute the information to the members of the teams who are working on the project. 2. Scenario One: Report 2.1. Discussion The division of labor and specialization is a special opportunity for the Ambridge Software Ltd staff to exercise their knowledge, experience and skills in the development of the software. There should be an understanding between the customers and the development team such that the final product is satisfactory and considerate of the issues affecting the Ambridge Software Ltd customers (Finkelstein et al, 1992). This requires frequent vi sits to the customers’ sites to identify their needs. It becomes easy to know how the system can implement them. The second recommendation is to involve the customers in the process of testing and evaluation of the system. This removes the misunderstanding between the development team and the customers. 2.2. Recommended Approach 2.2.1. Cost and benefit Analysis The costs involved here include the costs of travelling

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 45

Case Study Example This, therefore, means that a twist may be seen in the restaurant industry in terms of what they prepare and avail in menus to customers. The realization of the value of vegetables and the role they play in shaping dietary life implies that people will shift from HÃ ¤agen-Dazs Dazzler to vegetables as many would not wish to gain weight associated with junk foods. The hotel industry integrates a system in which every meal served must have some vegetables on the side (CSPI, 2015). Customers are more likely to feel satisfied only when they eat vegetables along with whatever meal they are taking. This revelation is enough to persuade the restaurant industry to revise and regulate their production in terms of how much HÃ ¤agen-Dazs Dazzler and vegetables they avail to customers. Continued campaign for vegetables over HÃ ¤agen-Dazs Dazzler will sensitize the public about eating right; therefore, the industry will have to comply by the customers’ demands. It is essential to make it clear that the Centre for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is genuine in the claims made. New research discoveries imply that people will definitely change their behaviors and consequently the industries that serve them will have to modify and adapt to the changes. The revelations exposed by the organization in healthy dietary has shed light on what exactly it means to eat whatever one chooses and the possible outcomes to one’s health (Shils, 2005, p.143). The scientific manner in which CSPI carries out its procedures makes it reliable as its outcomes and claims are thoroughly researched. It has been a tradition especially in the American culture for people to prefer fast foods over well prepared and nutritionally rich meals. The emerging reports presented by CSPI give people a different outlook into nutrition matters. The restaurant industry also has to alter its every day way of doing things and adopt new strategies

Same Sex Marriage in California Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Same Sex Marriage in California - Essay Example Hence, the people wanted to pass this measure as a constitutional amendment to restore the definition of a recognized marriage in California as between a man and a woman. When the advocates of Proposition 8 presented their measure to the California Secretary of State in 2007 for permission to circulate, the ballot title that was given to it was the "California Marriage Protection Act". Prior to the passage of the Proposition 8, same-sex marriage was a constitutionally-protected right in California. The California Supreme Court Justices affirmed this understanding of the constitution in May 2008. Charlene Gomes (2005) argued that since that there is an increasing number of committed same-sex couples in the United States, there is a need for legal recognition of these relationships in order to foster the emotional and economic well-being of these families. Marvin Allison (2007) argued from a progressive religious perspective, which emphasizes justice at the heart of marriage, sexuality and family. He stated that justice means seeking abundant life for all. He then states that justice requires careful examination of social practices and institution that foster or forbid human flourishing. Furthermore, he stated that justice demands that we empower disenfranchised persons so they may lead their own life projects. A just society is one that allows people to fulfill their individual desires such as the capacity to enjoy various sexual partnerships. Several states such as Vermont, New York City, and foreign jurisdictions have passed laws allowing same-sex couples. These places cov er the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Sweden, Portugal, Greenland and the Basque region of Spain. The case of Vermont is particularly interesting since same-sex marriage had been promoted judicially by that state. It was on July 1, 2000, when the law allowing civil unions went into effect in Vermont. Civil Unions extend to gay and lesbian couples "all the same benefits, protections and responsibilities under law, whether they derive from statute, administrative or court rule, policy, common law or any other source of civil law, as are granted to spouses in a marriage" (15 V.S.A. [section] 1204(a)).Opponents of the same-sex marriage argue that it goes against the well-being of society. Glen Lavy of the Arizona legal defense group, Alliance Defense Fund stated that he opposes same-sex marriage since it fosters the well-being of children and society. He was pleased with the New York Court when it issued the statement that the government had a key interest in advancing heterosexual marriage as the social institution that best forges a linkage between sex, procreation and child reari ng. Social science researchers have come up with studies that reinforce stability of a heterosexual marriage as providing a positive environment for children to grow up and become responsible adults.Same-sex marriage goes against Christian tradition that has seen sexual love as a gift from God and a good in its own right. However, it also recognizes the dangers of undisciplined desire and its strong destructive potential.Several independent church groups have campaigned for the passage of Proposition 8. The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America headed by evangelical minister Rick Warren supported the passage of Prop. 8. The National Organization for Marriage and Focus on the Family campaigned and helped

Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 8

Research Paper Example although Bear-Stearns investment firm analysts claim that the US illegal immigrant population "may be as high as 20 million people." (Illegal Immigration) Every year millions of people sneak illegally into another country by crossing the border line, this is very common in United States of America. This is called illegal Immigration, in other words, people who do not have work permit or any kind of permission from the government to come and stay in that particular country. The same affects the health facilities in the country and negatively impacts the overall healthcare facilities in the USA. Research has found that illegal immigration affects the citizens of that particular country, especially the poor people and the legal immigrants. It is also found that the taxes paid by these illegal immigrants are far less than the services received by them. Countries like United States of America are trying their level best to counter this by increased border patrol but this is not only reason for illegal immigration, most of the cases occur because of people who overstay even after their visa is expired. United States of America provides Medicaid facilities to the legal and illegal immigrants but this results in a very big loss for the economy of the country because the people take undue advantage of the same by overstaying in the hospitals even after recovery. The Medicaid policies depend on state to state but there are some states in America which provide the young children and elders requiring medical attention with great facilities like free drugs, free nursing and proper med ical attention. Of late the federal law has brought in many restrictions to keep a check on the illegal immigrants, this also ensures a strict check on the money spent on the public welfare. Some of the services provided by Medicaid to the people are Vaccine for the children, rural health care services, transportation services and these are just a handful of many services provided by the

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 44

Economics - Essay Example The other factor to be considered is the supply- demand aspect. The firm should be able to focus majorly on what the market. The market should be able to determine the amount of products being offered. The supply to the market should be in line with the demand in that production increases with an increase in demand and a decrease in demand should reduce the production. This should be done with little interference to the core agenda of profit maximization. While finding equilibrium between the supply and demand factors of production which include labour and capital should be considered as well. The internal factors should integrate well with external factors in ensuring that an informed decision is made. The strategies involved should satisfy the internal market while aiming at benefiting from the diseconomies of scale. A lower cost per unit will be achieved by increasing the size of the firm. The government carry out fiscal policy with an effort of sustaining the economy. The efforts by the government are to ensure increased aggregate demand. The policies by the government include government borrowing. In some instances the government decides in borrowing from the private sector. The result is reduced power to spend by the manufacturing firms as the available funds focuses more on ensuring a balanced in their profit making goals and reduced expenditure. The government on the other hand borrows from the sector to reduce the government deficit. The result of borrowing from the sector is reduces the spending power of the firms. The firm should critically analyse the government decisions to borrow from them as a means of increasing the aggregate demand (Grossman & Hart, 1986). The firm should consider its internal goals before falling victim to government policies. The firms should decide on which policies are to be adopted and which are to be ignored. Adjusting to these pol icies may assist the firm operate at

Where do you stand on the question of women in math and science Essay

Where do you stand on the question of women in math and science - Essay Example The point is, both gender has the same cognitive ability and aptitude. These abilities however can only be similar under normal conditions and without the intervention and threat of gender stereotype. The gap in academic performance will appear once the threat prejudice is applied and this persists in the professional life assuming that the female student was able to overcome the threat stereotype condition in the academe. In the essay "Women in Math and Science" of the book Writing Arguments -A Rhetoric with Readings, it showed how powerful prejudice and stereotype threat condition is in debilitating the capability of a person. In fact a study showed that even men are vulnerable to it. In a controlled condition conducted, two sets of white Caucasian men were asked to take an exam in math. The other set was subjected to stereotype threat condition that Asian are better than them in math while the other set took their test regularly. The result showed that Caucasian men who were subje cted to the prejudice of stereotype threat performed less than the other group who were not subjected to the same prejudice. Of course the group who underperformed is not less tough or less than bright than the other group but only showed how stereotype threat can undermine one’s ability. ... In fact, the cases among women are quite strange. Despite incidence of women who are performing well in school particularly in math and science, there are still fewer of them who are in the field of engineering and science. As I write this paper, I cannot recall anybody who is a popular female engineer, a scientist, or an astronaut. Apparently, prejudice still haunts them beyond school. That even if they managed to overcome the threat of stereotype in the academe, the prejudice still exists against them along the way when they are charting their career path. Somehow somewhere, this gender stereotype is still sabotaging them to land in a profession that is heavy in math and science because they are women. The sorry thing about this phenomenon is not that the threat stereotype condition can still hinder women in realizing their potential and contributing fully to society but rather, on our failure as a society to optimize the capability to contribute to the general good of society and to themselves. It may be subtler now and not as overt during the Middle Ages but it still exist. We can only glean from the evidence of women’s lack or non-participation in professions they are very much capable of but are excluded by the stereotype of male domination. In fact, the women’s challenge in dealing with subjects that relates to math and science is twice as much as men. First, she has to overcome the prejudice of gender stereotype which is known to effectively debilitate women’s ability to perform according to her potential. And if she is able to overcome it, the profession that she intends to practice her ability limits her option because she is a woman. Yet, despite this prejudice against her gender, she could even be still considered lucky because she is in

Enron-The Smartest Guys in the Room paper Essay Example for Free

Enron-The Smartest Guys in the Room paper Essay Answer the following questions based on the film Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005). 1. (a) Describe the ownership structure at Enron. (b) How did the ownership structure contribute to the Enron scandal? (15 points) When Enron became a publicly traded company, the employees and executives had more incentive to manipulate earnings and financials. With the shift in structure, there were more external stakeholders to satisfy, which caused the company to focus on short-term results, rather than long-term interests. The company went as far as to trade all sorts of things, including weather and broadband, in order to gain support from investors. Enron got a lot of that support. Investment banks put about $25 million each into the company. With high stakes and image on the line, Enron manipulated earnings to drive stock prices up through mark-to-market accounting to please its stakeholders. 2.(a) Describe the following three leaders: Ken Lay, Jeff Skilling, and Andy Fastow. (b) How did EACH leader contribute to the scandal? (20 points) Ken Lay was a very ambitious man. He was the son of a poor Baptist preacher. Because of Lay’s humble roots, Lay worked several jobs as a kid. He always dreamed about being a businessman one day and making huge wealth for himself. Lay believed he could have a better life with more wealth. He also believed in government deregulation. Lay had a PhD in economics. He aggressively pushed for deregulation of energy markets in Washington. His goal was to liberate businessmen from government’s hold. He took advantage of government letting energy prices float with the market, and started Enron Corporation through a few mergers. Jeffrey Skilling, former CEO of Enron, was said to be â€Å"incandescently brilliant† by many at Enron. In reality, he was a risky, danger-seeking gambler. Skilling had a Darwinian view and strongly beli eved in the idea of â€Å"survival of the fittest†. He implemented a group called the Performance Review Committee. The committee was involved in the â€Å"rank and yank† system, in which the bottom 15 percent of the company got fired each year. This ultimately led to numerous unethical actions and turning a blind eye to fraud because of employees’ determination for job  security. Skilling was a former nerd, and went on to change himself. He was very admired at Enron. When he got Lasik surgery, everyone else did too. Skilling was responsible for making energy into a tradable entity and for his advocacy of mark-to-market accounting, which was the main tool for Enron’s earnings manipulation. Fastow was a very greedy man. He served as CFO of Enron. He was responsible for running numerous companies that partnered with Enron. He mainly worked to cover up the financial fantasy land that Lay and Skilling had created. He was hired before age 30 by Skilling to join Enron. He always idolized Skilling and wanted to please him. He ended up hiding about $30 billion in debt through his companies. In addition, he skimmed off many of the deals he made, using Enron stocks as collateral. Fastow did not have a strong moral compass, and would play to the greed of the investment banks. He would offer investment banks accounts for their silence. One analyst, John Olsen, star ted to question the firm, and weeks later, was fired by the investment bank because Fastow paid off the bank with big Enron accounts. 3.(a) Describe the organizational culture at Enron. (b) How did the organizational culture contribute to the Enron scandal? (15 points) The culture at Enron was very cut-throat and filled with greed. Money drove the company and its employees. In fact, even the elevators had displays of the stock prices. The company was overtaken by hubris as well. Everyone was on the bandwagon—the accounting firm, investors, executives, and employees. The entire company thought it was changing the world. Everyone was blinded by arrogance, greed, and money. Enron was always portrayed as a super power in the market. It was said that is someone wanted to be part of the market, they had to go through Enron. In addition, many employees, including Skilling, were former nerds and had something to prove. There was a very macho culture at Enron. Skilling would organize dangerous, macho trips for employees and big clients. The stories from these adventures became legend. One man almost died from a flipp ed Jeep. Stories like that were legendary in the office. The culture ultimately led Enron to scandal because of the ideas it had put into people’s heads—that money drove everything and cash was king. 4.(a) Describe the performance management/reward system at Enron. (b) How did the performance   management/reward system contribute to the Enron scandal? (20 points) The reward systems were big. The executives and employees were all fans of the â€Å"pump and dump† system in which the employees drove the stock prices up, and would them sell the stocks off. The company was consumed by stock prices, as stocks were a large part of the compensation structure at Enron. Even the elevators had stock prices posted, so people could be reminded daily that there was more money to be made. The cash bonuses were extravagant too. In fact, a 25-year-old made a $5 million bonus. Executives were given multi million dollar bonuses. In addition, to prevent anyone from raising any flags, Enron played on the greed of the outside accounting firm, Arthur Anderson, as well as law firms. In fact, in 2001, Arthur Anderson got $1 million a week to keep things quiet and go along with everything. The la w firm was paid off handsomely as well. Analysts at investment banks would never really look into things because of greed as well. Because of all the bonuses, outsiders turned a blind eye, as did employees, which ultimately gave way to the scandal that ensued. 5.(a) Describe the regulatory/oversight weaknesses for Enron. (b) How did the regulatory/oversight weaknesses contribute to the Enron scandal? (15 points) Enron sought to take advantage of the low level of government regulation and the hyper capitalism created by the reigning consumer culture of the time. The company was run by a group of intelligent individuals who recognized they could take advantage of the government failure of low regulation. Early on while working for Enron, Lay founded many friends within Congress, including the friendship of George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. The government helped in pork barrel legislation for the company, granting it even more power. In addition, Bush senior helped secure millions of subsidies for Enron and helped promote Ken Lay as ambassador of deregulation at large. In addition, even energy-specific regulators turned a blind eye. Pat Wood, chair of FERC, was recommended by Lay as chair, and would work with Enron in lack of government in tervention. Even the power plants in California were working with Enron at one point. Enron could call someone at a power plant and cause rolling blackouts in parts of California,  driving energy prices up. With support from the government and very low regulation and intervention, Enron had a clean path to scandal. 6.Describe three (3) specific ways, which are directly related to the above factors, that Enron-like scandals could be prevented in the future. (15 points) 1. Publically-traded companies should have a strong board of directors that oversees the company and does not have investment in the company. Greed drove Enron to do what it did, but a board of directors who has no stake in the company would be more objective and ethical in decision-making for the company. 2. There should be less compensation tied to stock performance, as that was a large incentive for fraud at Enron. People’s earnings were tied too closely to stock. 3. Analysts should be help more responsible for their actions. The investment banks they worked for got sued, but who’s to say the analysts who turned a blind eye ever got punished? They made the banks lots of money, so they probably kept their jobs and got a slap on the wrist. More consequence in the public eye would deter these actions in the future.

Semantic Change Of The Word Gay

Semantic Change Of The Word Gay Language investigation into the ongoing semantic change of the word gay Introduction The meaning of the word â€Å"gay† has changed over time with its current; most commonly accepted use being to describe someone’s sexual orientation. This wasn’t always the case and at the moment is already changing to define something as being â€Å"rubbish or â€Å"unimpressive†. Such a big change as of this has led to me being interested into investigating the word and how over time specifically it has changed. The word gay also interests me language wise because of its importance in referring to someone’s sexuality, it provides a personal connection to some people’s lives as it describes them and who they are, so however the definition changes so will the effect to anyone who is gay. To investigate the semantic change I wanted to get the widest range of results for my investigation on the word gay. I went about choosing a wide range of people to give me the greatest range of views and opinions on the word and its definitions. To get this I asked elderly people who come from a generation where the word was completely different. I also asked people such as my parents who have come from another different generation and then finally today’s generation. I would aim to find a large difference between definitions between the elderly who would have grown up around the 1960s and any teenager I ask today who is currently in a completely different generation. Methodology Data collection: Going about my Investigation I decided the best way to get the most and best results was to produce a number of definitions and let the people who fill out the questionnaire pick one or two. I then would produce some follow up questions around the word ‘gay’ in a questionnaire style layout. I decided that a questionnaire style layout would best suit this investigation because it would be familiar with all the ages I am planning to ask to fill. Anything to complicated could potentially confuse an older person so the results wouldn’t be as reliable. For the first most important question I decided on using the four definitions used by the British Oxford Dictionary and found that gay has four meanings: (A) ‘light-hearted and carefree’ (B) ‘brightly coloured, showy’ (C) ‘homosexual, especially a man’ (D) ‘foolish, stupid or unimpressive’ Giving each of these definitions a letter I would ask the people I was giving my questionnaire to, to choose the letter they thought gay meant. I’d do this in the aim of testing one of the hypothesis that only older people will use gay with the first and second meanings, and only younger people will use gay with the fourth and fifth, most recent meanings. The earliest meaning is letter (B). Dictionaries usually give letter (D) as the most recent meaning. Analysis First Analysis As I expected the results from my questionnaires matched my hypothesis, that the older generation would answer giving the definition of the word gay as light-hearted or colourful where as the generation of today (15-21) defining it as something being rubbish or a homosexual man. Even with this result that the homosexual man definition is still in common use, more 15-21 year olds answered that it meant something being rubbish rather than a homosexual man. The new definition is starting to over shadow the older one. Surprisingly in my results some even went to say they used the word gay not even thinking about the older definition of a homosexual man. Therefore showing the semantic change of the word has changed so greatly that it’s other definitions are starting to be forgotten about and people are using the new definition almost unconsciously as this new definition becomes more common. Though my hypothesis was correct there were some abnormalities with two elderly people who f illed in my questionnaire saying they had picked up on the change of the word gay through their grandchildren and had stopped using it because of the possibilities that the word could offend someone. I also found that the elderly people who were grandparents that had completed my questionnaire talked about experiences where they had use the word to describe something and had been laughed at because of the different meanings that the Grandparents and Grandkids shared. When being asked if they commonly used the word gay, the younger generation used it extremely more with it almost being a day to day phase. The older generation were not the same with all but one of the people I asked not using it at all. Semantic Change Through back up questions I learnt that such semantic change was becoming more popular through the school; people see that if homosexuality has become more accepted into today’s society they have no need to put a label on homosexuality. Therefore the word gay is losing its original meaning and connection to the word homosexuality. School also plays another part in this because it is teenagers (school pupils) who have changed the meaning of the word gay, it was first seen as an insult. But the word has been so overused that it has lost its original meaning. In the majority of schools where pupils aged 15-18 and possibly even younger call each other gay it was here that the word gay was popularised with students first using it as an insult. Being gay was seen as being bad, so it picked up this derogative term but as time processed and the semantic change also, it transformed into having an overall meaning that something is stupid. An example of this would be that in my questionn aire I was given â€Å"school† as something which is gay. If we used the definition of a homosexual man this would make no sense but because of the semantic change this definition has completely changed meaning anything this person didn’t like could be gay. It is not just in school that the word gay had been used. Radio and television shows although rarely are using the word gay to define something which is lame or rubbish. One example is Chris Moyles, a former DJ on BBC Radio 1, he received complaints from listeners after he used the word gay to describe a ringtone that he didn‘t like. The BBC released a statement after the incident saying that the word gay may now mean rubbish.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬- The BBC said that the DJ was just keeping up with developments in English usage. Chris Moyles show was one the most popular at the time, his and the BBC statement about the incident would have given many people a new way to define the word gay and the fact a DJ such as Chris Moyles could use it in this way would have led to many people using it also While finding out that gay meant something as being stupid through the eyes of 15-18 year olds, I asked these people whether or not they saw gay meaning this because of the fact that being gay has been seen as a bad thing for many years and is only now being understood and more regularly accepted. I wanted to see if at the beginning of ‘gay’ starting to change semantically, it took on a negative connotation since many opposed homosexuality especially in schools and whether or not this had an effect on the semantic change, almost trying to understand that if being gay was never seen as being bad would the word gay had even changed semantically at all? In conclusion into this secondary research I found that many people in the 15-18 year old category were honest and admitted that at the start the semantic change could have been put down to the fact it carried a derogatory meaning. But now is seen more as ‘play ground speak’ and the increase with this new meanin g is led by the youth culture with many 15-18 year olds using the word because others do and may not even have a bad view on gay people. This semantic change In which I questioned was also being devolved through media and social networking sites like Twitter or Facebook where some of the 15-18 year olds would commonly use the word gay to describe something being stupid, as with schools people copy what everyone else does and this is maximised with the huge number of young people who have social networking sites. Along with this my research found that films such as ‘The Hangover’ where the term gay is used as a joke by an actor. In this film it is used as an insult, this could promote the semantic change. As that film was hugely popular a lot of people saw the scene and saw the new definition in which this word was used. The scene and the words the actor used in this joke have been copied many times and just show how films have an effect on semantic change because of the huge influential value on society. Patterns in the Language The word gay like all words are not set elements of language and are changing all the time. The word gay has been put as starting from the 14th century, when the definition was â€Å"stately and beautiful splendid and showily dressed. Through the late 14thcentury, it changed to define â€Å"full of joy, merry, light-hearted, carefree† this meaning was one of the definitions I gave in my questionnaire and the one I found was mostly used by the older people who answered my questionnaire. During the 19th century the word gay came to describe a woman who was a prostitute or a man who slept with prostitutes. This definition is obviously not used at all today and shows how one word can change so much based whether or not people use it. In the 1920’s the first use of it for referring to a man who slept with another man came about and this use has stuck till today. Although the definition started then, it was not used commonly until the 1980’s when this definition over shadowed all others. Until 2006, the word gay was still defined as a homosexual male until the definition changed meaning something is stupid. As with my research, the new definition describes having nothing to do with the previous definition and perhaps no offence is intended when using it to describe something as rubbish. This trait in changing words is also seen in the word â€Å"sick† which is changing from defining as being ill to something being cool. These words that are changing are most commonly used by the youth culture, this shows the great power that the younger generations have over the English language and what a word means. It seems to be very rare that an older generation define what a word is defined as. Alongside my research I read into Emily Jelsomeno’s â€Å"Bitch,Nigger and Gay: Exclusive Language? The semantic shift of Pejorative Words and Reclamation† and this gave me the view that the pattern in which the word ‘gay’ changes grammatical category and is used seems to go from â€Å"positive to negative† and is now currently negative. With its newest meaning, something being stupid, it gives me the idea that this is a negative. With being able to see this shift, it enables me to make the assumption that there are at least three kinds of semantic change ‘gay’ has gone through. These being degeneration, elevation and taboo. With the degeneration I refer to gay becoming a word to describe something as being stupid, the most recent definition. It means gay is known as being negative. With elevation I refer to the improvement of the meaning. This improvement came from it meaning ‘men who had sex with other men’ to ‘homos exual males’. The second meaning is more favourable because it removes the element of sex from the definition. Sex between two males for some people is wrong and looked down upon strongly, whether it is for religious reasons or personal views. Removing the sex from the definition evaluates the word gay because it makes it more acceptable in some people’s eyes. It makes being homosexual not necessarily about having sex with someone of the same gender, but someone who is different from the norms of what being a male is. Lastly with the word gay I’d refer it to being a taboo for the term ‘homosexual male’ as the word ‘homosexual’ can still be considered a offensive term when referring to a gay man. Changes in Grammatical category Using my research and some background reading, I can come to the conclusion that gay has changed in grammatical categories. The first definition of the word â€Å"stately and beautiful splendid and showily dressed† would define gay as an adjective. During the 19th century, it shifted categories and became a noun; â€Å"a women who was a prostitute† and then acted at the same time as a verb. The phrase gay meant â€Å"to have sex†. Up to the 21st century gay was both an adjective (e.g. gay marriage) and a noun (i.e. gay being connected to being a homosexual). The most recent and latest category change makes gay an adjective once again by using it to insult something or someone, an example of this most recent category change from my investigation would be someone saying â€Å"you’re gay†. Conclusion Finishing up my investigation and concluding it I can see a quite clear semantic change of the word gay which answers my initial investigation question. Though I set out almost knowing what the answer was going to be, I was still surprised along the way with some of the information I gained from my investigation. I was not expecting the amount to which people use the word gay daily and how common it now is. Through my investigation I was pleasantly surprised how most (if not all the people I asked) actually used the word gay unconsciously with no thought in mind of offending anyone who is actually homosexual. With my evidence from the investigation I can make the conclusion that the amount that the word ‘gay’ is actually used has helped steer it away from being used to cause offence and this is obviously a positive sign. The only thing I would change about my investigation is that I would have given more open questions. This would mean the questionnaire would get into mo re depth about the people who were filling it in opinions, giving me more detailed results. Apart from that I feel my investigation was a success.  Ã‚   By taking part in this questionnaire you agree to this information being used for research purposes (Please tick if you agree) Please fill in this questionnaire: How old are you? 15-24 24-34 34-4444-54 54+ What does the word Gay mean to you? (A) ‘light-hearted and carefree’ (B) ‘brightly coloured, showy’ (C) ‘homosexual, especially a man’ (D) ‘foolish, stupid or unimpressive How would use ‘Gay’ in a sentence? Any other comments? Thank you for taking part Thank you for taking part Bibliography http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/words-literally-changed-meaning-through-2173079 17/04/2014 http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/brendanoneill2/100246515/gay-now-means-rubbish-get-over-it/ 17/04/2014 http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/02/how-gay-came-to-mean-homosexual/ 20/01/2014 Bitch, Nigger and Gay: Exclusive language? The semantic shift of pejorative words and reclamation -20/01/2014 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7289390.stm -21/01/2014

Constructivist Theory of Development

Constructivist Theory of Development To believe a child is an empty vessel would mean believing that children are unable to think or respond to the world around them. The term empty vessel suggests that babies minds contain nothing and that helping them to develop means simply filling the space with facts. Theorists and scientists have spent many years researching and developing ideas that suggest that even an unborn child is capable of developing sensitivity towards its environment and therefore that human development begins long before the outside world has impressed its influence on a child (Muir Slater 2000, pg.68). However, this essay will explore the theories of how children learn and develop from birth, with emphasis placed on the constructivist learning theory in relation to the development of children from infancy and towards adulthood. Mukherji Odea, (2000, pg.80) describe how soon after birth babies begin trying to make sense of the world around them. They are able to identify sounds, in particular voices, and then subsequently begin to interpret images and the responses of adults. Their ability to read facial expressions develops (Louw, 2002, pg.208) and they use this knowledge to modify their behaviour. This development begins the pattern of constructivist learning that theorists have researched and discussed for many years. The constructivist learning theory essentially means being actively involved in acquiring new knowledge and skills, interacting with ones social and cultural environment and building on or adapting existing knowledge and experiences (Boghossian, 2006). The theory was documented by Piaget who studied his own children in order to increase his understanding of the developmental phases that children move through when learning. Piaget (cited in Slavin, 1994, pg.31) identified four specific age-related stages in a childs development and described how children foster new ideas by using patterns of behaviour or schemes and relating these schemes to the environment around them. Some psychologists questioned Piagets theories regarding the four stages and discovered the language used by Piaget during his studies to be too complex to provide an accurate representation of a childs abilities at any given time (Slavin, 1994, pg.44). One theorist who challenged Piagets theories was Lev Vygotsky, (Oa kley, 2004, pg.42) who suggested that rather than waiting for children to master one level of development before moving onto the next, learning takes place when children are challenged and presented with problems just beyond their current level of understanding. Vygotsky also placed far more emphasis on the role of adults (Gopnik, et al. 2001, pg.18), an idea further developed by Bruner, who proposed that adults were tools that can assist learning by scaffolding the development of language (Bruner, 1983, pp 64-66). Along with many others, by combining elements from all three theorists views of child development, the outcome is the constructivist theory of learning, a theory where prior knowledge is the basis and language, challenge and social interaction, the tools. Sharp, et al. (2009, pg. 51) place much emphasis on prior knowledge being the fundamental basis in the teaching of science. Learning and understanding in science is no longer considered the rote learning of facts and technical vocabulary, but instead means embracing inquisitiveness and the development of enquiry skills that aid the learner in making sense of the world around them (Loxley, et al. 2010, pg. 45). Scientific knowledge and understanding stems from intrinsic curiosity (Sharp, et al. 2009, pg.2). The infant, who continuously touches the objects surrounding him, is investigating the textures of materials and developing his own responses to them. When he then repeatedly returns to the soft toy he demonstrates that his enquiry has formulated knowledge of texture and subsequent actions are based on his initial investigations. The parent who then moves the toy further from the infant and smiles when he finally reaches and nuzzles his prize has provided challenge and social interaction as a means of developing the infants skills further. Rather than an empty vessel that the parent has begun to fill, the infant has demonstrated that he is a constructivist learner who is interacting with his environment and building on his experience. This example demonstrates that both the constructivist learning theory and the development of scientific enquiry apply to even the youngest children and so should be nurtured and developed when teaching science to primary and secondary pupils. Scientific enquiry allows existing ideas to be challenged and knowledge and understanding to be achieved (Loxley, et al. 2010). However, the constructivist theory in the classroom cannot be implemented unless prior knowledge is ascertained. Although the national curriculum (DfEE, 1999) details the legal requirements for the teaching of science, attainment targets are divided into key stages allowing for differentiation based on childrens level of understanding at any particular point in time. Teachers need to identify pupils current levels before they can begin to plan for future learning (OfSTED, cited in Kyriacou, 2007) and work towards these attainment targets. The elicitation of prior knowledge can be achieved in many ways. With language playing such an important role in the development of knowledge (Bruner, op.cit), discussion and careful questioning can be effective ways of allowing children to clarify their own ideas while giving the teacher an opportunity to identify misconceptions in their understanding (Littledyke, 1998, pg.22). Stimulus for the discussion can range from a big question as described by Longuski (2006), the presentation of a Concept cartoon [Appendix A] or through debating a PMI statement [Appendix B]. Card sorting activities allow children to share their ideas and recording responses by using KWL grids [Appendix C] or by asking pupils to draw diagrams or pictures provides concrete evidence of current levels of understanding. Loxley, et al. (2010, pg. 10) explain that children will engage in learning when it is presented in contexts which are familiar. I investigated this theory during a recent science lesson [Appendix D], where I used a story to present a scientific concept. The strategy proved to be particularly effective in eliciting pupils ideas and misconceptions and captured the interest of all children involved. Pupils connected with the lesson due to the presentation of a stimulus in the form of visual and auditory media (Naylor Keogh, 2007). The lesson was filled with discussion with all abilities participating in sharing ideas. The adults role in the lesson was to encourage discussion, clarify responses, assist lower ability pupils in recording their ideas and to offer questions that would promote critical thinking. Childrens responses showed that they were using their personal experiences to form ideas about the scientific problems presented by the cartoon [Appendix E]. Curiosity surrounding o ther aspects of light exploration was stimulated by the lesson, with several children asking questions that they would like to investigate in the future [Appendix F]. The main purpose of this lesson was, however, not only to ascertain prior knowledge but to identify misconceptions that would inform the class teachers planning of the class next unit of work. Misconceptions can originate from a variety of sources. Children can sometimes form incorrect ideas based on their own experiences or interpretation of language, as demonstrated by the common misconception about the term plant food. In response to a natural desire to form relationships with known ideas (Allen, 2010, pg.3), children can also draw inaccurate conclusions to newly encountered concepts (McGraw-Hill, 2011), an example of which is a child who, having observed the sun appearing to move across the horizon, concludes that the sun must actually move around the Earth. Occasionally educational staff can, due to their own misconceptions or lack of subject knowledge, provide information that is not accurate which highlights the need, as outlined by Professional Standard 22, (TDA. 2008) for teachers to be secure in their understanding of the scientific concepts taught to pupils (TDA. 2008, Standard 14) and, through reflection and evaluation, to identify when they need to further the ir own scientific understanding (TDA. 2008, Professional Standard 7a). The transcript of the discussion, [Appendix G] coupled with childrens written recordings of their ideas [Appendix H, I J] highlights the common misconceptions [Appendix K] that the group held about their understanding of the Earth, sun and moon unit of work, studied previously, and their impending studies of light. Misconceptions regarding concepts already taught, in this instance the Earth, sun and moon misunderstandings, provide an example of assessment of learning, or summative assessment, and can be used to judge a childs learning and level of scientific understanding. The misconceptions surrounding the theory of light act as formative assessment as they can be used when considering implications for future progress and to inform planning for the new topic to be covered, as described by Littledyke (1998, pg.21). They also enable the teacher to consider ways of challenging pupils misunderstandings without simply giving them the correct responses, as this could damage their self esteem or lead to them refusing to accept alternative explanations (The National Strategies, 2009). Instead, Miller, et al. (cited in Ansberry Morgan, 2007) explain that children should be provided with opportunities to investigate their own theories, for example through practical investigations or even the use of picture books (Ansberry and Morgan, ibid), while considering those of others. This will enable them to use the experiences on which the misunderstandings were based (assimilation) and then to adapt their original ideas in response to their investigations (accommodat ion) (Allen, 2010, pg.12). Any strategy adopted must address errors in a childs understanding, as failure to do so could prevent further progress (The National Strategies, ibid:3). Formative assessment (TDA. 2008, Standard 12) isnt, however, a tool to be used exclusively to elicit pre-conceptions about a topic to be covered. Yeomans and Arnold (2006) describe it is an essential part of planning and preparation that should be carried out continuously to enable teachers to evaluate the impact of their teaching (TDA. 2008, Standard 29), modify their approaches and assess how well children are progressing. It enables teachers to compare childrens levels of understanding with age appropriate objectives and those listed in the National Curriculum for Science. Analysis of an elicitation activity will also enable the teacher to plan differentiated activities to address individual pupils strengths or areas of weakness. Together with consideration for differences in learning styles and factors that may be affecting learning, this analysis will ensure that the needs of individuals are met and that all children achieve their potential (TDA. 2008, Standard 10). However, this type of personalisation of learning is not straightforward and requires commitment to an ethos, where every learner matters and every learners learning needs should, if possible, be accommodated (Keeley-Browne, 2007, pg.133). Although there are links, there are also differences between differentiated and personalised learning. Differentiation is a more traditional approach to teaching with pupils often grouped by ability and with tasks that match that ability (Kendall-Seater, 2005, pg.24). Personalised learning is a progressive approach where the childs experiences are the focus and results are judged by outcome or by the extent of resources supplied (Kendall-Seater, ibid). Both approaches benefit from consideration for childrens previous knowledge and experiences, on which they can build new ideas. Despite agreeing with this principle, experts have identified difficulties that could occur by implementing the constructivist teaching and learning theories. Keogh Naylor (1996) have questioned the plausibility of considering the prior knowledge of every pupil, and Skidmore Gallagher (2005) acknowledged the difficulties that a change in approach might present to teachers. In her research report, Chin (2006) discusses difficulties between balancing the responsibility of teachers as providers of accurate scientific facts with them being facilitators of child-initiated learning. Considering each of these experts reservations means viewing constructivist teaching and learning in science as a challenging process where the acquisition of scientific knowledge is the main goal that can be achieved through the amalgamation of an understanding of childrens developmental processes and the commitment from teachers to providing opportunities for personal enquiry with sound subject knowledge. In summary, teachers need to first recognize that children are not empty vessels but that they have a valuable wealth of scientific knowledge and experience on which to construct and adapt new ideas. Teachers should embrace and nurture curiosity, promote critical thinking and provide creative learning environments that facilitate purposeful exploration and social interaction. Careful consideration has to be given towards the National Curriculum for Science objectives; however, as is often the case with preparation for statutory testing (POST, 2003), it should not be seen as a constraint that restricts creativity or that initiates a return to the meaningless rote learning strategies (Stones, 1984, pg.64) of the past. Assessment opportunities should be explored, and the results used effectively to inform and enable an inclusive, personalised curriculum that allows children to become active participants with ownership of their own learning.

The Meaning of Mental Health and Ill-health Essay -- psychology, psych

Mental health as Pilgrim (2005) stated is used positively to indicate a state of psychological wellbeing and negatively to indicate its opposite, or euphemistically to indicate facilities used by, or imposed upon, people with mental problems (pg 3) although Richards (2002) argued the concept of sanity and insanity are relative and may vary according to individual and social perspectives, and illustrated that an acceptable behaviour at an arts festival may not be perceived similar in a private home and that there are times when every one of us could be considered to be in an abnormal state of mind (pg 13-15) and in that regard dispensed the term ‘madness’ which could have emotive meaning, is neither a medical term nor a diagnosis and could imply lack of wholeness, control and hope and implicate a perception of fear (pg 16) while Stevens and Price (2006) summoned the idea that psychiatric symptoms were probably manifestations of ancient adaptive strategies inappropriate in the current epoch but could be understood and treated in an evolutionary and developmental context. Thomas Szasz (2006) however challenged the whole notion of mental-illness and coined the term â€Å"myth of mental illness† (Szasz, 1961) while giving the argument that the distinction of physiological and psychological illness was based on ‘misuse’ of the terms illness or disease which were observable anatomical and physiological phenomenon. His focus was on the fact that mental disorders have a clear biological component, and that they should be treated like any other illness. He advised the use of terms like "severe brain disorders" when describing these illnesses and stated psychiatry could indeed be replaced by neurology (2006) and considered physical diseases of ... ... of the World Health Organization WARR, P. and PARRY, G. (1982) Depressed Mood in Working-Class Mothers With and Without Paid Employment. Soc Psychiatry 17 pp. 161-165 WEINSTEIN, J. (eds.) (2010) Mental Health, Service User Involvement and Recovery London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (2002) Gender and Health: Gender and Mental Health: A Report of the World Health Organization, Department of Gender and Women’s health in collaboration with Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence Geneva: World Health Organization WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (2005) Promoting Mental Health: Concepts, Emerging Evidence, Practice: A Report of the World Health Organization, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse in collaboration with Victorian Health Promotion Foundation and the University of Melbourne Geneva: World Health Organization

Social Constructs :: Sociology

Social Construct influences the extent in which we are healthy and physically active. It determines how we use health services, recreational facilities and sporting opportunities to our benefits. It also guides our response to health and physical activity challenges and how an individual views health as a social construct. The advantages of viewing health of an individual through social constructs have many reasons. Some being that it supports principles of diversity and social justice. Australia is diverse in terms of multiculturalism, socio-economic status and geographic location. Socio-economic status relates how much the individuals income is, their employment status, car/home ownership or their knowledge about health. Being geographically isolated means not having access to available health services. It is taken into account so that the individual has a sense of belonging and empowerment to improve their health. The individual should have a supportive environment so that changes can occur for the better and to ensure the individual develops a sense of ownership for their health. Another advantage would be that is recognises the interrelationships between socio-cultural and environmental factors that influence social constructs. Many cultural and environmental factors impact and influence in individual?s health. Some of these may include, the climatic conditions, physical environment which influences the health of the individual and what society and culture expects of them. Climatic conditions can have a big impact of an individual?s health because of the decreasing amount of space to do physical activity. Final advantage is that it challenges the notion that health is solely an individual?s responsibility. For improvements to be made in health, the individual has to take full responsibility and to agree that they are to be blamed for their poor health levels. Through influences of social constructs the individual should make informed decisions regarding their health and should be more motivated to facilitate change.

Understand Employment Responsibilities

201 Understand employment responsibilities and rights in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings Task A – Short Answer Questions Ai: Imagine you are a newly appointed supervisor/manager within your service. You need to update your staff handbook to reflect current employment law. Identify three different sources of information you could use to enable you to do this. Once you have identified a reliable source of information: Aii a) List three aspects of employment covered by law.Work Conditions (safety, discrimination, accommodation, etc. ) Wages Hours b) List three main features of current employment legislation. Minimum wage Training Holiday entitlements Aiii Briefly outline why employment law exists. To protect the employee and the employer Nobody is discriminated racism is not in the work place No abuse, providing a safe work environment employee fairness people don’t work below minimum wage nobody is taken advantage of nobody is t ricked into unfavourable contracts. Task B Your work roleFor this task you will need the following: †¢ A copy of your contract of employment or employment agreement. If you don’t have a written contract of employment eg if you are employed as a personal assistant, discuss your terms and conditions with your employer and make notes to help you to complete the task; Evidence 1 †¢ A recent payslip or pay statement; Evidence 2 †¢ Access to your workplace policies and procedures or notes from a discussion with your employer if you are employed as a personal assistantBi Describe the terms and conditions of your employment as set out in your contract of employment or employment agreement. Bii Describe the information which needs to be shown on your pay slip/statement. Salary before and after deductions Name national insurance number national insurance contribution tax contribution PAYE/employee number Biii Identify two changes to personal information which you must re port to your employer. Change of bank details Change of address Biv Describe the procedure to follow if you wanted to raise a grievance at work.You may describe this in writing or produce a flow chart or diagram. Bv Explain the agreed ways of working with your employer in relation to the following areas: 1. Data protection 2. Grievance 3. Conflict management 4. Anti-discriminatory practice 5. Health & safety 6. Confidentiality 7. Whistle blowing Bvi Explain how your role contributes to the overall delivery of the service provided. Bvii Explain how you could influence the quality of the service provided by; a) Following best practice within your work role; Doing everything required I. e. raining,Be kind and caring to the residents and providing them with respect and dignity. b) Not carrying out the requirements of your role. By not following the role requirements you will be not doing your job well and following the right procedures and by that you can cause accidents and your not gi ving your fall attention by that people will be neglected and not get the fall care they need. Bviii Describe how your own work must be influenced by National factors such as Codes of Practice, National Occupational Standards, Legislation and Government Initiatives.Bix a) Identify two different representative bodies which influence your area of work. b) Describe the role of the two representative bodies you have identified. Task C Career Pathway Create a career pathway plan for yourself, indicating what opportunities are open to you as you progress in your chosen career. Indicate what you will need to learn or any qualifications you might need to gain in order to achieve your goals. Identify sources of information to help you achieve your goals. Task D Presentation or reportPrepare a presentation or report on an issue or area of public concern related to the care profession. Your presentation or report should include: †¢ A description of the issue or area of public concern rais ed †¢ An outline of the different points of view regarding the issue or area of public concern raised †¢ A description of how the issue or area of public concern has affected service provision and methods of working †¢ A description of how public opinion is affected by issues and areas of concern in either the health, social care or children’s and young people's sectors

Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations Report

|Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations | | | | | |   | |Home   | | | |Truck Freightage Defies Trends in Economy: IFTRT Report | |   | |Defying the buoyant data being released by various agencies about the expansion of economic activities and soaring corporate profits, | |the trucking business, consisting of 3 million trucks, has failed to look up in last 4 weeks. The truck freightage has remained flat | |on most of the trunk routes despite increase in cost of operation due to 2 diesel price hikes (Dec 31 and Dec 15†² 03) totaling Rs. 2/- | |per litre (10%) and have, in fact, sharply declined on trunk routes passing through Uttar Pradesh due to resumption of overloading by | |trucks. | | |On the other hand various State Governments had withdrawn Gold token/ passes/ cards, which permitted over-loading of trucks in excess | |of permitted weight, in order to get release of their share of Central Road Fund withheld since April 2003. The Central Government has| |stop ped Central Road Fund to those State Governments, which were not only permitting but sponsoring overloading of trucks in | |contravention of Central Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 by issuing Gold Cards/ passes/ tokens to truckers against fixed monthly/ quarterly | |fee. The Central Government has taken a firm view that â€Å"over-loading of the vehicles cause significant damage to road surface†¦ | | | |Recently, the State Government of Uttar Pradesh withdrew the Gold Card scheme w. e. f. Dec. 15, 03 and a month later Rajasthan did the | |same w. e. f. 1, Jan 04. The subsequent stringent enforcement of CMV Act, 1988 by U. P. Transport Department by not permitting the | |entry/passing through of overloaded trucks from the State resulted in sharp increase in truck freightage by 4% – 7. 5% during the | |fortnight (Dec 1, – Dec 15, 03) and unsettled the trucking business in region. However, this anti-overloading drive was short-lived | |and has collapsed in the U. P. State, by and large. Now, overloaded trucks are plying and passing through the State merrily. Thus, | |truck freightage once again is being dictated by the over-loading of vehicles that existed before Dec. 1, 03. In the last four weeks | |the truck freightage for the trunk routes passing through U. P. has dropped by 3. 5% – 6. 8%, according to the monthly update released by| |Indian Foundation of Transport Training & Research (IFTRT). | | | |Union Government outsmarted by Rajasthan | | | |Followed by U. P. the Rajasthan Government, too, had withdrawn its Gold card/token scheme from 1, Jan 04 to get the Central Road Fund | |released immediately. However, the State Government, very smartly has replaced the earlier special Gold Token Scheme with another | |†AMNESTY SCHEME† by charging multi slab fee to permit unhindered over-loading of trucks in excess of prescribed weight limit. The 1st | |Jan. '04 notification has been â€Å"modified† to pacify the Central Government, which had again refused to release the money from Central | |Road Fund. But, plyin g of over loaded commercial vehicles continues under the patronage of State Transport Department, points out the | |report. |   | | | |TRUCK (16. 2 TON GVW) Hire charges/rates (Rs. per round trip 21 Dec'03 – 21 Jan'04 | |Route / Round Trip |Period |Truck Hire charges |Diesel Price increase Impact | |9 ton pay load | |change/Round Trip/Period |(per round trip) 31 Dec'03 | | | |21 Dec'03 – 21 Jan'04 | | | Hire Charges |Hire Charges | | | | |21 Dec'03 |21 Jan'04 | | | | | | |Rs. |% |Rs. |% | |Delhi – Mumbai – Delhi |28,800/- |28,800/- |No Change |NC |(+) 620/- |(+) 5 | |Delhi – Nagpur – Delhi |28,400/- |28,400/- |No Change |NC |(+) 610/- |(+) 5 | |Delhi – Kolkata – Delhi |34,700/- |33,000/- |(-) 1,700/- |(-) 5. 0 |(+) 630/- |(+) 5 | |Delhi – Guwahati – Delhi |69,400/- |67,000/- |(-) 2,400/- |(-) 3. |(+) 850/- |(+) 5 | |Delhi – Hyderabad – Delhi |43,100/- |43,100/- |No Change |NC |(+) 770/- |(+) 5 | |Delhi – Chennai – Delhi |59,000/- |59,000/- |No Change |NC |(+) 870/- |(+) 5 | |Delhi – Bangalore – Delhi |44,800/- |45,000/- |(+) 200/- |(+) 0. 5 |(+) 770/- |(+) 5 | |Delhi – Ranchi – Delhi |33,300/- |31,300/- |(-) 2,000/- |(-) 6. 8 |(+) 620/- |(+) 5 | |Delhi – Raipur – Delhi |29,300/- |29,300/- |No Change |NC |(+) 630/- |(+) 5 | |Delhi – Kandla – Delhi |18,300/- |18,300/- |No Change |NC |(+) 340/- |(+) 5 | |Delhi – Bilaspur – Delhi |30,300/- |30,300/- |No Change |NC |(+) 620/- |(+) 5 |

Hinduism and Christianity Essay

Hinduism and Christianity are two of the largest religions in the world today with nearly half of the world’s population claiming one of the two as their own. Without a doubt, both religions have been extremely influential in the world. In the minds of most, this is about as far as the similarities between Hinduism and Christianity go; however, the fact is that the two religions actually have much more in common than is often perceived at passing glance. There are commonalities strung all throughout the two religions, from parallel texts of scripture to eerily similar view’s concerning the nature of the divine. In this paper, I will thoroughly explore many these little known similarities. In an effort to do so as objectively as possible, I will use authoritative scriptures from the two religions themselves to state my case and provide evidence for it. First off, there are similarities in the ideas on cosmology, or how the cosmos came to be, in Hinduism and Christianity. In Christianity, God is seen as the creator of all things, in whom all things draw their very existence. This is evidenced in scriptures such as â€Å"in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth† (Genesis 1:1) and â€Å"in him we live and move and have our being† (Acts 17:28). For Hindus, Brahman is viewed in quite a similar manner. The Katha Upanishad tells us that â€Å"the whole universe came forth from Brahman and moves in Brahman†¦ in Brahman it lives and has its being. † Obvious similarities can be seen between the two religions view of creation from these passages (BibleGateway, Krishnananda, & Wolfe). Hinduism and Christianity also agree on the natural state of man, in that both believe that man is deluded, and can only be enlightened to the real truth by God incarnate. The bible says, speaking of man, that â€Å"they are blind guides, and if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit† (Matthew 15:14). Jesus Christ is the solution for this problem though, as he says, in John 8:12, â€Å"I am the light of the world: he who follows me will not walk in darkness but have the light of life. † The Hindu scriptures paint a similar picture as the Mundaka Upanishad says that men are â€Å"living in the abyss of ignorance, yet wise in their own conceit, the deluded go round and round, like the blind led by the blind. † Like Christ, the leading Hindu incarnation of God, Krishna, declares â€Å"I destroy the darkness born of ignorance with the shining light of wisdom† (Bhagavad Gita). The scenarios presented between man and incarnate God in the two religions bear a striking resemblance (BibleGateway, Krishnananda, Purohit, & Wolfe). The religions also seem to agree on the reason for the presence of sin and evil in the world. The Christian bible tells us, in the seventh chapter of the book of Mark, that evil comes â€Å"from within, out of the hearts of men†¦ all evil things come from within, and defile the man,† and that man is â€Å"lured and enticed by his own desire; then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin,† in James 1:14-15. The Bhagavad Gita offers a similar explanation when it asks, â€Å"What is it that compels a man to commit sin, even involuntarily, as if driven by force? † and replies to the question â€Å"it is (human) desire†¦ all consuming and most evil; know this to be the enemy here on earth. † It is evident from these passages that both religions find man and his desires to be the cause of evil and sin in the world (BibleGateway, Purohit, Rood, & Wolfe). Another similarity between the two religions can be seen in the idea of God dwelling within man. This idea is evident in Christianity through scriptures such as Luke 17:20-21, which states that â€Å"the Kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Lo, here it is! † or â€Å"There! † for behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. † Also, God says, â€Å"I will put my Spirit in you,† (Ezekiel 36:27) and â€Å"I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts,† (Hebrews 8:10) speaking of his people. For Christians, this indwelling of God in man is a symbol of salvation. In Hinduism, Atman (God within) is â€Å"the spirit dwelling within man† according to Swami Krishnananda, a highly respected Hindu philosopher nd monk. The Svetasvatara Upanishad says of Brahman, â€Å"thou, lord of all, in the hearts of thy creatures thou hidest thyself,† showing with clarity that Hindus believe God indwells people. Furthermore, the realization of this fact is linked with salvation in this religion as well. The key difference here is that for Hindus, God dwells in every man, while for Christians, God only dwells inside of those who belong to him (BibleGateway, Krishnananda, Pratte, & Wolfe). One particularly interesting similarity between the two religions is the fact that in both, God cannot be seen by all as he has concealed himself from many. Moses writes that â€Å"Jehovah our God hides himself; but reveals himself to us and to our children,† (Deuteronomy 29:29) and Isaiah speaks of a â€Å"veil that is spread over all nations† (Isaiah 25:7). Clearly the God of Christianity hides himself from certain people. The Bhagavad Gita declares that â€Å"wisdom is veiled by ignorance, thereby creatures are deluded,† and the Isa Upanishad states that â€Å"the door of truth is covered by a golden disc,† and asks for Brahman to â€Å"remove it so that I may behold (truth). † Also, both religions compare the truth of God to hidden treasure, alluding to the fact that it is concealed from humanity. Further contributing to the uncanny similarity of the two religions’ positions on the matter, both also seem to claim that this truth about God can only be revealed to man by God himself, and man cannot discover God apart from this divine self-revealing (BibleGateway, Krishnananda, Purohit, Wolfe). Another similarity between Hinduism and Christianity is the idea that the material things of this world are not to be focused on because they will not last. Instead, the emphasis is placed on the eternal in both cases. In Christianity, 2 Corinthians 4:18 instructs us â€Å"not to look to things that are seen but to things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. † Likewise, the Hindu Katha Upanishad tells us that â€Å"the wise, knowing the self as eternal, seek not the things that pass away. † In each instance there is a devaluing of the temporal things of this world, and an emphasizing of spiritual well being, which will be of long-lasting importance (BibleGateway, Krishnananda & Wolfe). Moreover, God is compared to both lightning and light in each religion. The bible tells us that â€Å"as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of man be in his day,† (Luke 17:24) and claims that â€Å"God is light and in him is no darkness at all† (1 John 1:5). In like fashion, the Chandogya Upanishad describes Brahman as â€Å"he who dwells in the sky and makes lightning his home,† and says that â€Å"the world of Brahman is light itself. These comparisons to lightning and light signify the power, goodness, and truth of the God of both Christianity and Hinduism (BibleGateway, Krishnananda & Wolfe). The two religions also contain stories of individuals within their scriptures which are largely parallel. For instance, the Katha Upanishad contains the story of Nachiketa, a tale which includes many similarities to the story of Christ. Like Christ, Nachiketa possesses the knowledge of truth of scriptures. Also like Christ, his father has given him over to die. The son accepts his fate and declares that â€Å"like corn, a man ripens and falls to the ground; like corn, he springs up again in his season. Accepting his own impending death, Jesus Christ makes the eerily similar statement that â€Å"unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies it bares much fruit† (John 12:24). The similarities do not stop here either. Upon his death, Nachiketa spends three days in the house of the King of Death, and subsequently is granted a wish for the secret of immortality. In much the same way, Christ spends three days in a tomb after his death, afte r which he is resurrected to immortality. Furthermore, while in the house of the King of Death, Nachiketa is tempted by the King of Death to wish for power or riches, but he resists and gains the secret to immortality. This scenario parallels Jesus Christ’s encounter with Satan while in the desert. He also is tempted by the â€Å"king of death† to ask for power or riches, but like Nachiketa, he resists each temptation. The congruence in the stories of Nachiketa and Christ is overwhelmingly apparent (Bible Gateway, Krishnananda & Wolfe). Another intriguing parallel between the two religions is found in their moral teachings. The Ten Commandments are the basic moral teachings of Christianity, and they are paralleled by the moral teachings of the first two â€Å"limbs† of yoga, yama and niyama, of which there are ten of course. However, the truly intriguing resemblance lies not in this fact, but rather in the fact that each set of moral guidelines is applied in practically the same way. In both Christianity and Hinduism, these teachings are expanded to include not only the realm of actions, but also of thoughts. For instance, the first yama, â€Å"non-violence†, means not simply refraining from acts of violence, but also not harboring internal thoughts of anger. Jesus Christ, speaking of the analogous commandment in Christianity, says â€Å"you have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘you shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment;† but I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says ‘you fool! ’ shall be liable to the hell of fire† (Matthew 5:21-22). The fact that these two religions’ systems of morality are both expounded to include thoughts and motives is really quite remarkable (BibleGateway & Wolfe). Another source of correspondence between these two religions is found in the vast parallels between the lives, teachings, and purposes of Jesus Christ and Lord Krishna. First, both of these figures are the source of all being and order in their respective religions. Christian scriptures tell us that Christ was â€Å"in the beginning with God† and that â€Å"all things were made through him† (John 1:1-3), and Paul asserts that â€Å"in (Christ) all things hold together† (Colossians 1:17). Additionally, in Ephesians 1:10, God reveals his plan to â€Å"unite all things in (Christ), things in heaven and things on earth. In much the same way, Krishna is described in the Bhagavad Gita as the â€Å"source of all beings, Lord of all creatures, God of gods, Lord of the world. † Also, Krishna claims that â€Å"all this (universe) is strung on my like jewels on a string,† and that â€Å"the whole world of moving and unmoving things, united in my body. † Consequently, each individual is set up as a foundational cornerstone in their religion. Take away Krishna and you really have no Hinduism; take away Christ and you have no Christianity (BibleGateway, Purohit, & Wolfe). Subsequently, both Christ and Krishna are the vessels through which the people are freed from their sins. Even prior to Christ’s birth, an angel of the lord came to Joseph in a dream and said â€Å"you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins† (Matthew 1:21). In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says â€Å"he who knows me†¦ is undeluded and is freed from all sins. Furthermore, despite their immense contributions to mankind, these men were largely unrecognized by world around them. The bible states that Christ â€Å"came into the world but the world knew him not† (John 1:10), and Krishna states in the Bhagavad Gita that â€Å"this world is deluded and does not recognize me. † In both the case of Christ and Krishna, God became a mere man and lived among the people, yet the world around them did not even realize it (BibleGateway, Purohit & Wolfe). Ironically, although the two religions’ views on the divine may seem to be polar opposites, upon further inspection there is much more commonality between the two than most people realize. For starters, both religions’ ideas of the divine include a holy Trinity. In Christianity, this Trinity is manifested in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Although God is said to have these three different manifestations, he is still considered to be one, individual god. This is evidenced in the scripture, â€Å"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord† (Deuteronomy 6:4). Hinduism contains a divine Trinity that bares striking resemblance to the Christian Trinity. Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, the preserver, and Shiva, the destroyer, are the three personalities of the Hindu Trinity. As found in the Christian Trinity, the Bhagavad Gita tells us â€Å"these three form one lord, or god, who is known by three different names according to his three functions† (BibleGateway, Pratte, Purohit, & Roychoudhury). Also, the characteristics attributed to the divinities in each religion are similar. The God of Christianity is said to be omnipotent, or all-powerful. Mark 10:27 tells us that â€Å"all things are possible with God. † Similarly, Brahman is â€Å"endowed with infinite power† according to the Bhagavad Gita; therefore, both God’s are omnipotent. The Christian God is also described as omniscient, or all-knowing. Psalm 147:5 tells us that â€Å"his understanding has no limit,† and he is described as â€Å"perfect in knowledge† (Job 37:16). Likewise, the Rig Veda tells us that Brahman is â€Å"vast in mind,† and has â€Å"eyes on all sides;† therefore, both God’s are omniscient. Another attribute of the God in Christianity is his omnipresence, or ability to be all places at a single time. In Psalm 139:7, David asks â€Å"Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? † David then goes on to speak of how wherever he goes, God is there also. We are also told that â€Å"the eyes of the Lord are in every place† (Proverbs 15:3). Brahman, also, is said to â€Å"pervade the universe;† therefore, both God’s are omnipresent as well. Furthermore, the Christian God is immutable as Numbers 23:19 tell us that â€Å"God is not a man†¦ that he should change his mind,† and in Malachi 3:6 God declares â€Å"I the Lord do not change. † Brahman is also immutable according to Bhagavad Gita scripture which describes him as â€Å"the unchanging reality;† therefore immutability is another trait both God’s possess. Clearly, the two divinities have much in common with one another (BibleGateway, Brullote, Griffith, Purohit, & Rood). There are also several distinct ways in which the God’s of Hinduism and Christianity are viewed in the same way. In Isaiah 45:18, God says â€Å"I am the Lord, and there is none else,† and in the Svetasvatara Upanishad, we are correspondingly told that â€Å"(Brahman) is one without a second. † In Revelation 1:8, God declares â€Å"I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come. The Svetasvatara Upanishad tells us that â€Å"at the periods of creation and dissolution of the universe, (Brahman) alone exists. † Further, Christ himself, while being tempted by Satan, says â€Å"for it is written: worship the Lord your God and serve him only. † In the same way, the Chandogya Upanishad states â€Å"let a man, freed from the taint of passion, worship Brahman alone. † These are a few of the many areas of congru ence found in the way the Hindu God and Christian God are seen and treated by their followers (BibleGateway, Krishnananda & Wolfe). In conclusion, although Hinduism and Christianity developed in entirely different ways, in completely different locations, and around vastly different cultures and people groups, the two religions are filled with a series of wonderfully intricate and complex parallels. These interreligious parallels cover a wide variety of subjects ranging from the perception of morality to the concept of the divine. While Hinduism and Christianity are, without a doubt, two distinctly different religions, the multiple similarities found between them prove that they are not quite as diametrically opposed to one another as many would suspect. Bibliography http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rigveda/ http://www.swami-krishnananda.org/upanishad.html http://www.gospelway.com/religiousgroups/hinduism.php http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/hindu.html